England captain Jos Buttler says the players have no problem with Alex Hales’ inclusion in the Twenty20 World Cup squad after the batsman received his first call-up since dropping out of the squad in 2019.
Hales, 33, was called up as a replacement for Jonny Bairstow, who was ruled out of the tournament in Australia after sustaining a lower limb injury while playing golf.
In 2019, Hales was dropped from the preliminary squad for the 50-year-old World Cup after the Guardian newspaper reported he was serving a three-week ban for recreational drug use.
“I spoke to a lot of senior players to make sure no one would have a problem with Alex coming back to the team if we wanted to select him. Nobody had a problem,” Buttler told the journalists Thursday ahead of their T20 series. In Pakistan.
“He’s obviously in excellent form. We know what a talented player he is and he’s also gained a lot of experience since the last time he played for England.”
Hales, 33, was called up as a replacement for Jonny Bairstow, who was ruled out of the tournament in Australia after sustaining a lower limb injury while playing golf.
In 2019, Hales was dropped from the preliminary squad for the 50-year-old World Cup after the Guardian newspaper reported he was serving a three-week ban for recreational drug use.
“I spoke to a lot of senior players to make sure no one would have a problem with Alex coming back to the team if we wanted to select him. Nobody had a problem,” Buttler told the journalists Thursday ahead of their T20 series. In Pakistan.
“He’s obviously in excellent form. We know what a talented player he is and he’s also gained a lot of experience since the last time he played for England.”
Hales, who is also with the team in Pakistan, played in the T20 Big Bash League in Australia, averaging 33.16 in 60 innings.
“Looking ahead to the World Cup, his Big Bash record is fantastic. Australia is a place where he has done well, so he seemed the obvious choice,” added Buttler.
England begins its T20 World Cup campaign against Afghanistan on October 22 in Perth.